Bulgaria: cultural and natural

heritage

‘LITBUL- the inheritance of two old European cultures’Vocational High School of Veterinary medicine, Dobrich, Bulgaria

World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria

MADARA RIDER

The Madara Rider, representing the figure of a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a 100-m-high cliff near the village of Madara in north-east Bulgaria. Madara was the principal sacred place of the First Bulgarian Empire before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity in the 9th century. The inscriptions beside the sculpture tell of events that occurred between AD 705 and 801.

An early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau

RILA MONASTERY

Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862.

Medieval monastery, one of the region's most significant

cultural, historical and architectural monuments

THRACIAN TOMB OF KAZANLAK

The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria’s best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis.

Ancient tomb, part of a large

Thracian necropolis

THRACIAN TOMB OF SVESHTARI

A Thracian tomb dating back to 3rd century BC

The tomb is a unique monument of Thracian and Hellenistic art of the first half of the 3rd century B.C. It was discovered in 1982 during arcaelogical excavations of a Thracian tumulus near the village of Sveshtari. The tomb comprises a corridor and three chambers of an almost square shape, covered by a semi-spherical vault. The tomb at Sveshtari is a brilliant evidence of the Thracian’s contribution to the world cultural heritage.

BOYANA CHURCH

Located on the outskirts of Sofia, Boyana Church consists of three buildings. The eastern church was built in the 10th century, then enlarged at the beginning of the 13th century by Sebastocrator Kaloyan, who ordered a second two storey building to be erected next to it. The frescoes in this second church, painted in 1259, make it one of the most important collections of medieval paintings. The ensemble is completed by a third church, built at the beginning of the 19th century. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art.

A medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church

ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES OF

IVANOVOIn the valley of the Roussenski Lom River, in north east Bulgaria, a complex of rock-hewn churches, chapels, monasteries and cells developed in the vicinity of the village of Ivanovo. This is where the first hermits had dug out their cells and churches during the 12th century. The 14th-century murals testify to the exceptional skill of the artists belonging to the Tarnovo School of painting.

Monolithic churches, chapels and

monasteries hewn out of solid rock

ANCIENT CITY OFNESSEBAR

Ancient part of town, situated on a peninsula (previously an island).

Situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, the more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria). At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea. Wooden houses built in the 19th century are typical of the Black Sea architecture of the period.

PIRIN NATIONAL PARK

Spread over an area of over 27,000 ha, at an altitude between 1008 and 2914 m in the Pirin Mountains, southwest Bulgaria, the site comprises diverse limestone mountain landscapes with glacial lakes, waterfalls, caves and predominantly coniferous forests. The extension now covers an area of around 40,000 ha in the Pirin Mountains, and overlaps with the Pirin National Park, except for two areas developed for tourism (skiing). The dominant part of the extension is high mountain territory over 2000m in altitude, and covered mostly by alpine meadows, rocky screes and summits

Natural reserve

SREBARNANATURE RESERVE

A nature reserve and lake on the Via Pontica bird migration route

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill.

OTHER HERITAGE SITES

BULGARIA

On these ancient ruins was built in IX century and the Bulgarian fortress. Today you can see the ruins of the citadel of the ancient city, which were inhabited by the king's palace throne room, the Patriarchate and the Patriarch's residence. Because of the beauty of the fort, on its ruins is organized architectural museum reserve Tsarevets, where can you walk and learn details of the history of the hill and the city.

TSAREVETS STRONGHOLDis located on a hill in Veliko Tarnovo and its castle was the main stronghold of the former Bulgarian capital. Today there are remnants of the old fortress, which have been restored and preserved. The old fort was built on the ruins of ancient settlements, the first of which was built in the 4th millennium BC. In the early Middle Ages this was the biggest city in Bulgaria.

SHIPKA MONUMENTDuring the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) on Shipka peak was played one of the most decisive battles which determined the victorious outcome of the war which liberated Bulgaria. Along with the Russian army about 6ooo Bulgarians took part in the fighting. On the top of Shipka peak stands the Monument to Freedom. The monument is 32 meters high and 894 steps lead to the top. Above the main entrance a bronze lion stands proudly. On the ground floor of the monument, a marble sarcophagus holds the bones of the heroes fallen in the battle. On the remaining 7 floors there is an exposition, which tells of the heroism of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers during the five-month defence of Shipka.

CATHEDRAL OF ST ALEXANDER NEVSKY, SOFIA

The Church of St Alexander Nevsky is maybe the most popular symbol of the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and Bulgaria as a whole. It is located in the heart of the city and is the cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch. Built in Neo-Byzantine style and it is the second biggest cathedral located on the Balkan Peninsula.

PANAGYURISHTE TREASURE

All of the objects are richly and skilfully decorated with scenes of Thracian myths, customs and life. It is dated from the 4th-3rd centuries BC. As one of the best known surviving artifacts of Thracian culture, the treasure has been displayed at various museums around the world.

The Panagyurishte Treasure is a Thracian treasure excavated on December 8, 1949 by three brothers near the town of Panagyurishte, Bulgaria. It consists of a phiale, an amphora and seven rhytons with total weight of 6.164 kg of 24-karat gold.

BELOGRADCHIC ROCKS

The Belogradchik Rocks (Belogradchishki skali) is one of the most famous and most impressive nature phenomenon in Bulgaria. They are a group of bizarre sandstone and limestone rock formations with different and amazing shapes, reaching up to 200 m in height. The natural phenomenon has amazing shapes - rock castles, palaces, fortresses, silhouettes of people, birds and animals, etc.

SEVEN RILA LAKES

The Seven Rila Lakes are a group of lakes of glacial origin, situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. They are the most visited group of lakes in Bulgaria. The lakes are situated between 2,100 and 2,500 metres elevation above sea level.

The Baikushev's Pine is a coniferous tree from the species Bosman Pine situated in Pirin mountain, southwestern Bulgaria. It is named after its discoverer, forest ranger Kostadin Baikushev. With an approximate age of about 1,300 years, Baikushev's pine is one of the oldest trees in the world and is a contemporary of Bulgaria's first khan, Asparukh. It has a height of 26 m, is 2.2 m in diameter and 7.8m in circumference.

The Baikushev's Pine

THIS IS BULGARIATHANK

YOU

ATTENTION

F O R Y O U R